


Your New Home

by Baeowulf, ShinysMindPalace



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Bestiality, Birth, Drugs, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Monster Biology, Multi, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Other, Plants, Rebirth, Spoilers - Undertale Pacifist Route, Tail Sex, Tentacles, Unbirthing, maybe a skeleboneing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-21
Updated: 2017-01-03
Packaged: 2018-09-10 23:37:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 11
Words: 17,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8943937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Baeowulf/pseuds/Baeowulf, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShinysMindPalace/pseuds/ShinysMindPalace
Summary: Frisk's life with Toriel has been more wonderful than they could ever have imagined, but...... Well, humans weren't meant to live among monsters forever.





	1. A Request

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's nothing quite like mother's love.

**• (Seeing such a cute, tidy little house in the RUINS fills you with…)**  
**• (It's a new feeling, after having been here for a month with Toriel.)**  
**• (But her patience, her love…)**  
**• (That fills you with determination.)**

You better save. Just… in case she reacts badly. She did, after all, think you were joking when you said you wanted to call her “mom”. It took you this long to build up the nerve, and even now, you save one more time to be sure. Okay. You can do this.

Pushing open the door, the stink of snail pie affronting your senses, but you swear you'll get over it one day. It's expensive to feed you any other way, and Toriel doesn’t exactly have a whole lot out in the RUINS. You figured that out after the first week. She's just doing her best for you, which is why… uh… well, you suppose it does have a hand in what you're about to ask. She won't need to worry about you as much.

You step into the kitchen, but no Toriel, just that snail-filled abomination on the counter. You make a point to glare at it as you pointedly reach into the fridge and grab a candy bar. Toriel seems to have no problem acquiring those, but for the life of you, you still can't figure out where the bloody books she’s getting them from. The chilled chocolate in your grasp renews your determination to at least try to like the pie, as much as your stomach wants to twist, you stand firm, and bail from the kitchen and head for your room. Ohh, mystical wonders of monster chocolate, please help.

Monster food always goes so fast, but you relish in the feeling of chocolate in your bones, the wrapper dissolving into nothing in your fingers as you listen for Toriel. Your eyes haven't been able to follow her moving from room to room, not for a while. You know you can't live on just monster food, at least, no human can. You think you’ve got the solution, and as you hear Toriel padding in the front door, the crinkle of groceries giving her away, you smile. Okay, you got this.

You meet Toriel in the kitchen, where she’s unloading the supplies for grubloaf. You tug on her sleeve, smiling up at her as she turns, beaming down at you. Groceries are set aside, and she kneels to your height, taking your hand in hers. “Yes, my child? Did you miss me while I was away?” You nod enthusiastically, pulling her hands around you before you hug her, burying your face in her soft, furry chest. She is getting more used to you doing that, laughing softly and petting your head. “So I see. Why don’t you go sit down with something to read while I finish up here? I'll be right out, and we’ll have dinner. Sound good?” You sigh, but nod, taking your time exiting her embrace. Her face is always so warm when she smiles at you. “You're doing very well, my child. Thank you for being so patient with me. Just wait a little bit longer, alright?” You sigh, and she laughs, before shooing you out of the kitchen, lighting the fireplace for you as you plop into her chair, picking up her latest read…

… fuck, it's 72 uses for snails. Why did she pick that one again!? You know she can hear your heartbreak, when she hums from the kitchen, making a big show of supposedly ignoring you as you open the worn pages nonetheless. By the time it's finally dragged its slimy info across your psyche for the third time this week, Toriel’s done with the groceries and dinner, setting the snail pie on the table beside the dead-looking flowers. You leap from her chair, book tucked back into the cushions as she turns to you with a knowing smile, taking your hand again when you offer it. “Are you hungry, or do you have something to say?” she asks you gently. She knows its hard for you.

**• “… a question, actually.”**

Toriel only looks nervous for a moment, forcing her smile to stay put.

“A question?”

**• (You confess, everything you planned. Sure, its unfounded and stupid, but from what you read you think it'll work.)**

Toriel frowns. You know, she doesn’t believe you either.  
“It's not like we have another choice, then. If you're feeling weaker by the day…” She takes a steadying breath. “… I'll be strong for you, Frisk. You are my child, after all.”

You smile with relief, and she hugs you tight. While monster food is an experience of itself to eat, restorative in so many ways, it has a nasty habit of not leaving any matter behind. Human bodies break down, and over the last month with nothing substantial to replace broken bits with, you’ve felt your body weaken. But Toriel is still strong. And Toriel can fix this.

You have dinner with Toriel, disgusting though it is, you eat the whole slice. Toriel is quiet, her mind lost in potential safeguards she knew, ways she could improve upon your plan. You're glad to have her on your side, hell, you're even tempted to run out and save in the leaf pile, but you could do this a thousand times if it works this way. You help do the dishes, rinsing so Toriel doesn't have to get so wet, and she tells you that she needs a few hours to prepare, but she’ll be back, alright? You give her cheek a kiss, and tell her you can wait, for her. After all, the solution is in sight. She leaves, likely off to go to wherever the fuck monster chocolate is, so you take your time, peeling off your clothes for now and setting them aside. Toriel finished renovations in that far room, turning it into a bathroom, just for you, though it’s a bit silly how its set up. The sink and the bathtub are one thing, but the toilet thankfully is normal, if a bit high up for you. You plug the tub and start the tap, fire runes heating the water for you as you wait on the edge of the tub.

You take stock of your stuff and yourself. Gooey bandaid, cool looking stick you found, overalls and a striped shirt. Two arms, two legs, two eyes, two ears, two nostrils. No tail, no horns, no fur, no paws. You always envied the silky softness of Toriel’s body, her plush shape only made all the more heavenly by the soft give of her fur. Her floppy ears never cease to amaze, especially when she twitches them. You think she does it to show off, but you can't tell.

You close your eyes, head held perfectly upright so no dizziness sets in. You turn off the tap, sinking into the water up to your lips, and for a moment, you pretend.

**• She’s not with you. And she’s not yours.**

You don’t care. You’ve gotten this far, you're the one in control. You need to focus. And probably save, but you're already in the bath, so may as well lie in it. You just… forget you're tired, sometimes. Toriel makes it easy on you. You can't help but feel guilty for asking this final favor of her, but you promise, after this, she won't need to take care of you so much. Hell, if you're lucky, you might even get to take care of her. You're not sure when you fell asleep, but you wake up to a barely-warm bath and Toriel, as nude as you, shaking your shoulder.

“Are you alright, child?” Her voice is soft, as though she worries even speaking might be too much for you as she helps you from the water, the world spinning as you nod anyway, stumbling into her arms. She holds you close, letting the world settle for you, before you let her know you're okay, and she carries you with her to her bedroom. Her bed is made, though there are a few towels across the middle as Toriel sets you down, taking one to dry you off a little, kissing your forehead.

“I promise, I'll take good care of you. Don’t worry about me, I can take care of myself.” She promises, and you both move to begin. Monster magic spells can do some interesting things, like cover someone in slippery slime, or make things stretch beyond where they should. You always were fascinated by Toriel’s ability to use magic, and now… well, this is probably going to be your best shot at learning how. It's exciting for you.

Toriel herself lies down, casting her first spell on herself with a bright green glow, the monsters of the delta rune glowing on her chest for a moment, before everything returns to darkness. You can't suppress your eagerness to lean forward when she readies the spell for you, and even now, you hear her giggle. In red over your forehead, the angel of the delta rune appears, covering you in slick, sticky slime. You know why this spell was created, but you're just glad Toriel knows how to change its shape. She takes a deep breath, before she spreads furry thighs for you, beautiful white fur cascading down her body, before thinning around the most adorable pink slit you think you’ve ever seen. Not that… you've really seen a lot, but you're gonna abandon that train of thought and focus on Toriel.

**• (You take it slow. No need to hurt her.)**  
**• (You think you should have saved when you had the chance.)**

You'll admit to being nervous, but Toriel is a wonderful teacher, patient with you. She's much softer than you expected, even softer than her fur, so you explore her. She's happy to guide you right to her favorite spots, and you relish the way her body feels. She gives you the go ahead, and you give your plan a try. One hand, then two, you take it slow, for her, but mostly for you. You think she's just as nervous as you are, and though your head spins, you still press on. She’s so warm around you, soft like you didn’t think was possible. Your fingers meet her cervix first, taking great care to be gentle as you press one through. Briefly, her belly glows green, and the muscle is convinced to relax, letting you through.

**• (You fuckin _love_ magic.)**

She makes a remarkably valiant effort not to bleat, but all she can do is muffle the startled sound, her warmth quivering around you. You kiss her thigh, and promise you'll be quicker. Which means you have to go through with it, pushing both hands deep inside her, then, finally, you press your face against her, take a deep breath, and press forward. You never imagined The world feeling so wonderfully tight, especially when Toriel bleats again, her voice thrumming through your skin. You don’t want to rush out of excitement, but when you feel her hand on your back, you know she’s ready. You plant your feet, and she rolls her body down into you, helping you into her womb as quick as she can stand, the goo spell doing its job wonderfully.

You're so warm, and the world doesn’t feel like its spinning, for once. You curl up, cozy, her walls radiating her own contentment into your bones. There's a blue spell, one you can't see, before you feel… tired, but safe. It's time to let Toriel take care of the rest…

... After all, you always wanted to call her mom.


	2. Growing Pains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An important question is left for them both

Toriel really should have thought this through better, but... She just will have to focus on the positives. Like how she still gets to keep Frisk around, albeit... rather closely. She doesn't mind, she would insist, even as entire pies disappear in wake of her efforts to magically stretch her wardrobe again. She did it before, years ago, and she can make it work, now. Nothing's the matter as she waddles through the house, her full belly swaying gently with each step. Toriel's preferred staying in her chair as of late, as it gives her poor back much-needed respite from the toils of the day. It had only been three days since she and Frisk talked, but still, Toriel finds herself looking for her odd little child hiding around corners, as though she could actually lose Frisk. 

Taking a deep breath, she rests her paw against her belly, the fur only thinning slightly as the skin below stretches, and pulls out her worn copy of 72 Uses For Snails. It was a gift from Asgore, long ago, back before he was Mister Dreemurr, made by hand. He always had a crafty sort of spin to him, one of the things Toriel fell in love with so long ago, and this book is no exception. Hidden glyphs only visible to monsters and powerful mages, 72 Uses For Snails talks about absolutely nothing so Asgore could hide a message in the letters. A message, and a spell. 

> "In Case Of Nuzzle Emergency, Burn Book." 

Ahh, she remembers that tournament. See, Asgore had used this to flirt with her at the time, explaining that if it were ever damaged, it would activate a beacon, one that would help Asgore find her, wherever she is. She fireproofed the book the moment she got it. 

Still, watching the runes dance is enough of a distraction for  her, firelight flickering across the pages as she wrestles with the urge to fling it into the harmless flame. If he were here, she could explain to him so much, but first... 

First, she'd have to forgive him enough to see him. And that just won't be happening. 

* * *

 Time gets away from her easily, but she's almost glad of it, with almost two weeks down. If she understood Frisk's theory right, all she has to do is make it a full month. She marked the day as soon as she got up. 

Today, time gets away from her as she passes through the ruins, dutifully swaying towards her usual bug hunting place as she crosses ancient traps, the three rocks that guard the switches saluting her as she passes them. The pitted room beyond looks just as she left it, but she hasn't tried to cross for some time. However, she can't very well search for fallen humans if she never crosses this room. 

 _Brave steps, Toriel_ , she instructs herself, pressing forward onto the stable solution path. It creaks worryingly under her weight, _Brave feet, Toriel_ , but her steps do not stop. She's halfway across the winding path of the room when she hears it crack, Toriel only having moments to react as a misstep sends her and part of the solution path falling into the holding area below, the rusty red leaf piles thankfully catching her fall. Stars dance in her vision for a few moments, Toriel sitting up with tremendous effort, holding her middle tight. The leafs aren't soft for long, forcing Toriel to her tired feet, bracing herself against the wall as she wades towards what she knows to be the exit. 

Only problem?

Rocks fell, everyone's trapped.

" **Fuck.** " Toriel groans, sliding down the wall instead, settling herself back against it, pulling her knees up to brace her against the wall, cocked wide. The rocks appear to have fallen a few days ago, since the dust has settled. It's not going to be easy to get those moved, but she can think it through. There has to be a solution that's easier than shoving them aside herself. Closing her eyes, Toriel goes through her mental list of possible things. Waiting until she has enough magic, trying to scavenge something to eat from down here, melting them... nothing she can think of seems to work, in practice, but she's so busy thinking, she fails to see one of the others who are trapped down here.

A brainless, curious thing, wondering about why it's so warm here; Moldsmal wiggles up to the scene, investigating between Toriel's feet. The scent of lime gelatin fails to notify Toriel of anything being the matter until she feels the gooey top of a curious monster up against her underside, her eyes flying open as an undignified bleat escapes her in surprise. Her ears burn under her fur, embarrassment heating her face as she clamps her jaws shut, pulling her knees up to try to pull her skirt away, but in doing so, she lifts the little monster up with the fabric, Moldsmal landing right up against her. Another accidental exclamation, Toriel is embarrassingly sensitive down there, especially with how she's been unable to reach that far for two weeks now. Moldsmal thinks they've found the answer they've been looking for, oozing into Toriel's body heat rather happily. Her knees shake as Moldsmal presses cool goo to her cunt, oozing into wherever it can get, molding around her clitoris as her hands grip at her skirt, giving up on trying to evict the creature. It's not like she could do this on her own, and she just came across a whole wealth of time. 

Toriel will just do her best not to think too hard about how it might affect Frisk. Monsters are magical creatures, and their emotions affect their magic rather readily. But, Toriel has no idea how her magic being tied to Frisk's  **life** is going to affect them, let alone herself, when- 

She almost startles herself with the sound of her own voice when Moldsmal oozes past her vulva, spreading her thighs gratefully as she pulls the fabric of her skirt upwards to give Moldsmal a much-needed boost. The monster is happy to explore deeper, cuddling right up to Toriel's sensitive walls, the comparatively cold creature making Toriel's whole body shiver when it fills her. She's so glad for fire magic, not even thinking about the consequences of warming Moldsmal up just a little bit to encourage it, and for a moment, she sees spots in her vision, Moldsmal pressing up against her cervix eagerly. The poor muscle is stretched to its limit, keeping Frisk safe, but Moldsmal doesn't need much room at all. All it needs is just enough room to wiggle flirtatiously for Toriel, the furry bossmonster resting her horns back against the wall while her traitorous throat lets the whole of the RUINS know about how  **hard** she's concentrating on the problem of getting out. Rocks can fucking wait, Toriel's already waited two weeks. Frisk loves to move around when Toriel's finally gotten settled, and like many of the times this past week, this time is no different. Toriel nearly squeals at the feeling of Frisk shifting, pressing back against her cervix right as Moldsmal wiggles forward, the pressure enough to ease a tiny bit of Moldsmal past her cervix, before Frisk settles, and that bit is pinched off, stuck inside with Frisk. Moldsmal doesn't appear to notice, but both pieces of it wriggle and writhe, stimulating everything they can. Toriel's throat's going to be very sore after this, hesitantly rolling  her  hips forward to sit up on Moldsmal, to lean into its motions with one hand on her belly, the other on the wall to keep her upright. In the back of her mind, Toriel hopes Frisk can forgive her for this, or perhaps, not remember it at all. 

" **Fuck!** " echoes down the halls of the RUINS, Toriel's world spinning with white, hot pleasure, her body trembling with much-needed delight, stiff muscles relaxing ever so slightly. Toriel pants once, twice, and on the third, she's out like a light, exhausted from just the trip over here. Falling on her side, unconscious Toriel lies curled around her middle, her breathing still heavy. However, this shift in perspective fails to deter Moldsmal, and Moldsmal is hell bent on this awesome warm, wet place. So, with patience, Moldsmal pushes itself through the center of Toriel's cervix iiitty bit at a time, oozing its way through the tight muscle while Toriel sleeps. 

**_\+ - + - +_ **

Toriel's eyes snap open, and in a moment of panic, Toriel doesn't recognize where she is, her sore throat croaking out a groggy bleat of distress as she sits up as fast as she can, groaning in pain as she rests back against the wall, her head spinning and her cervix just a bit sore. She almost feels bigger than before, but it's nothing, just inflammation from sleeping in a shit position. To her relief, it seems Moldsmal made its exit on  its own, Toriel's sleep-addled mind slowly reassembling the memories of yesterday. How embarrassing... But she'll have to tell Frisk. Frisk's counting on her, it's her duty to Frisk. 

" **Fuck...** " Toriel sighs, her voice right and thoroughly shot from mistakes made  the day before. Wheezing, she rises, her knees wobbling worryingly as she approaches the stones. She really didn't want to have to do this, but it doesn't seem like spellwork is going to be a good idea, pressing her back against the stones, digging her heels in, and pushes. No sooner has she tried to do this than she hears a quiet voice beside her, nearly making her jump as a rather plain-looking ghost hovers beside her, asking, 

" _oh..... are you hurt.....? i heard a noise....._ " Their tone just seems so sad, Toriel can't help but feel pity for them, but she's definitely never seen this ghost in the RUINS before. 

"I'm alright, friend." Toriel pants, laying back against the stones instead. "I've simply fallen, and unlike you, I cannot fly." She explains patiently, smiling up at the ghost. They scowl, looking up at the hole in the ceiling. 

" _so..... that hole..... is yours?_ " 

"Yes, dear. I... Perhaps was a bit audacious in coming here, but my intentions were pure enough..." Toriel mutters, glad of her fur to hide the heat in her cheeks. "This door is the only route I know out, but ah... you can see why I haven't cleared it already." 

The ghost looks back to the hole, before shaking its head. " _that door is just one way out..... i can take you the other way..... if you'd like..... no pressure or anything....._ " Toriel laughs, nodding and giving him a bright smile. 

"That would be wonderful, friend. How can I repay you?"

" _oh no..... i couldn't....._ " 

"Are you certain?" 

" _..... well..... i guess there might be..... one thing..... i could ask for....._ " The ghost looks so nervous, Toriel almost feels guilty. 

"Anything, my friend. If you'd like, I can even wait until after you help me out for you to pick your reward. Does that sound good?" The ghost nods, and Toriel beams, shuffling to her feet. "Then tell me how I can help us both out of this hole." The ghost nods, taking Toriel up on  a bridge  made of "bullets". Toriel totally didn't watch them cry her a ramp up out the hole, it totally didn't break her heart, and she's  totally not gonna cry about it later. Nuh-uh. 

Toriel's the first to speak when they get out of the  hole, back on the side from whence she came. "Well? What will you ask of me?" 

The ghost looks nervous. " _..... i.... heard you..... before..... i-i wanted to know what that was..... all about....._ " From the blue on their cheeks, Toriel knows exactly what the ghost wants to know. Damn her traitorous mouth... 

"Do not worry, I was... I'm fine." Toriel lies, her hands folding  over her belly. The ghost nods, looking away. 

" _..... if you need help..... uhm..... either way..... i-i'd like to help you..... if that's okay....._ " Toriel flushes, nodding hastily, and with awkward goodbyes, she shuffles back through the RUINS to home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternatively titled: Toriel says "fuck!"


	3. Timing is Key

The morning wakes Toriel with a guest at her door, a quiet knock sounding again from down the hall. Ah, right, she did ask that kindly little creature back today... Napstablook, that was the name, right. Augh... 

"Coming!" She calls down the hall, taking a deep breath and bracing herself up against her bedframe, sloooowly pushing herself to a sitting position with a groan. There's no denying it, Frisk's definitely gotten bigger over the course of the  month, making it hard to even move around normally, and even with spellwork, Toriel feels like bending too far will rip something. Which is why she asked for Napstablook to come today, she reasons as she checks her calendar. Tomorrow, Frisk will be ready, again all according to their plan. Toriel will fully admit to not being certain it worked, but she's felt Frisk moving around a lot more lately, so she can count that as a good sign. 

Getting up sucks, but once on her feet, Toriel pulls her skirt back into its proper place, before shuffling down the hall. Since doors and ghosts don't really care about each other, Toriel finds Napstablook already past her front door, the little ghost politely waiting by the stairs for her arrival as she greets him with a smile. "Thank you for coming, Napstablook, and especially on such short notice." She pants, shuffling past them to head to a little closet where she kept her cleaning supplies. 

" _No problem..... miss Toriel..... i had  nothing better to do....._ " Napstablook replies as they trail behind Toriel, the vacuum rolling out first. 

"Well, it's fortunate for me then. We need to get this place tidied up before tomorrow." Paper towels, cleaning solution, and a few buckets, Toriel's unloaded her entire arsenal. "And as much as I'd like to pretend I can get this all done myself... You've shown me it's alright to accept a little help every now and again." She cheers, and Napstablook gives her a little nod. "Perfect. You can skip my bedroom, I'll take care of that, but I'm  going to start in the  kitchen." Napstablook nods again, grabbing a bucket and a scrubber to head to the new bathroom and get started. Divided, the house is clean by dinnertime, Toriel making a hearty snail-and-berry pie for the two of them to share, relaxing by the  fireplace. 

" _..... hey..... miss Toriel.....?_ " Napstablook breaks the quiet first, Toriel looking up from her book to peer down at Napstablook. Ugh, it's even hard to see  _that_ far...

"Yes, my friend?" 

" _i was wondering..... about before..... a-and repaying me....._ " Napstablook's cheeks are bright blue, clearly embarrassed to be asking this at all. " _.... c-could i help y-you out  one more time.....?_ "

It's Toriel's turn to flush, her cheeks burning under her fur as she considers their offer. "What... uhm.... Did you have in mind?"

" _..... c-can i show you....?_ " Toriel's heart beats  nervously, but she nods nonetheless, reclining further in her chair. With Frisk having gotten so big inside her, not even magic  could make her underwear fit, but  her usual delta-rune dress is starting to strain even when she's just sitting normally. Laying back in her recliner is just about the best she can do to reduce strain on the cloth, pulling up the footrest and spreading her legs as wide as the fabric will allow. Napstablook may not have done this many times before, but they've been on the internet once or twice; they have a pretty good guess, and they really hope to impress Toriel with this one. They ask Toriel to relax and close her eyes, waiting until she's begun to breathe more deeply before they give it a go. 

If Napstablook hadn't just eaten, this probably would be exhausting, but that's what dinner with friends is for. Tears congeal on the floor, forming up into a big, thick spheric mass on the ground. Focusing, Napstablook descends, SOUL filling the sphere as they take control. Now, just like they'd seen before, Napstablook extrudes three thick, tubular tendrils from the mass, turning them to face Toriel. One of them slides between Toriel's legs, the other two coming up to gently rest against her swollen belly, rubbing in slow circles as a confused bleat leaves Toriel. Sliding between her thighs, Napstablook takes their time, running the moistened end of their tentacle up along her slit in long, lazy strokes. Toriel's nails dig into the armrest of her chair, a high-pitched bleat rewarding Napstablook when they push into her. Just like before, Toriel's too sensitive for her own good, her thighs quivering as Napstablook pushes forward, all the way up to her cervix. Only slightly sore, the ring of muscle refuses to budge, but Napstablook has different objectives this time, pulling out just as slowly until  the tip is barely inside Toriel. Then, with a wet  _slap_ , Napstablook fills her as far as they dare, picking out a reasonable pace to fuck Toriel desperately. She's tight like a vise, already dripping wet and curling her toes into the footstool. Napstablook keeps  rubbing her belly with the other two tentacles, trying to massage tension out of her body to make up for the wonderful tension they're massaging into her cunt. 

Toriel's back arches, into all of the wonderful attention, and its not long before both of them reach their breaking point. Toriel's voice is going to be gone again, but she can't find it in her to give a shit, Napstablook having the courtesy to pull out first before they spatter her loins with ectogoo. They recuperate, the popping of the fire  the  only sound in the house apart from Toriel's breathing, and Napstablook dissolves what they brought. Toriel wheezes something akin to thank you, before she's asleep, exhausted from the day and finally comfortable enough to pass out. 

* * *

Morning arrives with pain and some spooky tunes Napstablook went to go get, having insisted on staying when they made  this arrangement. Toriel can't express her gratitude, both because her throat is sore as fuck, and pain clouds her focus. Napstablook made tea, before they both had to address a necessary issue. With help, Toriel gets to her feet, enlisting Napstablook's necessary help in getting undressed for the occassion, before she waddles off to get towels. The chair will be the best place, Napstablook can help Frisk when Toriel can't. She just... has to be brave. 

 _Brave feet, Toriel. Frisk needs you._  

With renewed determination, Toriel hobbles back to the bathroom. But no sooner has she grabbed the towel than she feels her  water break, fluids staining her thighs as she groans. She can't even towel herself off, a humiliating call for help manifesting as a wordless bleat of distress, and Napstablook is there. They clean up, Toriel's belly deflating only slightly as it drains, and Napstablook takes the towels over first, lifting Toriel after they've set up the armchair for her. She mutters an apology, but Napstablook fails to acknowledge it as its followed by a grunt of pain from Toriel. It's time. 

Toriel settles herself as upright as she can be, to help Frisk out as soon as she can, her feet settling in the notch between the footstool and the chair itself with less difficulty than she would have thought. Napstablook asks her if she's ready. 

She laughs. "Of course not, b-but you never are for this  s-sort of thing..." 

It hurts less because  of the spell she put on herself when Frisk came along, but that doesn't mean it doesn't still ache as her body tenses, a bleat of pain heralding the start of Frisk's arrival. It takes until noon for Toriel to welcome Frisk back into the world, and to no one's surprise (but much to Toriel's embarrassment), Frisk's surprisingly pliant body is covered in fur just like their mother's, furry, bouncy feet and floppy ears coated in light chestnut, the whole of Frisk's body now covered in a fine layer of the same chestnut fur, though its  thickest on their arms, legs, and ears. However, despite clearly resembling a furry bossmonster, Frisk finds their body rather stretchable, willing to conform to almost any shape, given the right stressors. 

Frisk doesn't ask. 

Toriel's shame will plague her to her dusty grave. 

 


	4. RUINS of the Heart

**• (You look upon your home with new eyes.)  
** **• (Birds sing, bugs fly...)  
** **• (On days like this, kids like you...)**

... Should really get talking to Mom. You guys planned an outing to the flowerbed today, but you had other ideas. Your new birthday was just the other day, and though you can walk with all of the confidence you had before, Toriel still insists you don't walk far. You figure, as long as you're only in the leaf pile, she won't be too upset with how far you walked. She just seems to  _know_ this stuff, somehow. But, you shake your head, you didn't get this far to be an idiot. You focus, reaching out,  **SAVING** your feat.  **SAVING**  your happiness.  **SAVING** Mom. 

Your heart always fills with warmth, remembering you can now call her that. You sometimes wonder how you forget, since the snout and the ears are pretty fucking noticeable, not to mention the fuzzy fingers, but you can't be more grateful. Not only did she trust you, but she shared herself with you, and you can't  _wait_ to return the favor. But if you want to return that favor, you've gotta focus, find Mom, help her out. You want to make sure she's okay with it, yes, but... You're kind of counting on her at least trying to say no. You'd understand why. 

**• She's not yours, you ignorant prick.**

The sun warms your furry cheek as you trot inside, a hole from the surface keeping daylight on that old tree that never keeps its leafs. You like to bask there, you think, since it helps get sunlight on your chest and belly. There, the fur is thinnest, and you get cold walking around with no shirt on. Not that you want one, it just means you have to deal with it, crossing your furry arms over your chest as you duck inside, heading for the fireplace to sit down and warm up. Napstablook left before you woke up this morning, but  as your eyes light on her, you swear she just looks more beautiful every day. See, Toriel's body remembers another child of hers, plumping her in preparation for new child, leaving Toriel's hips round, her chest fuller, and her belly ever so slightly rounded. There's a warm feeling in your chest when you remember you had a hand in it, bouncing to Toriel to climb into her lap, the tired bossmonster relaxing back into her chair. 

You snuggle up against her soft chest, curling into the curve of her body out of instinct as she puts her arms around you, holding you close. Her breathing soothes  you, your eyes closing as you put your arms around her waist. "Yes, my child?" She asks softly, a gentle hand petting between your horns. 

**• (Your voice is lower than you remember, but you know it like an old friend)**   
**• (You explain that, while a trip to the flowerbeds is nice, you have a plan)**   
**• (An important one, but a hard one.)**

She takes it about as well as you expected, her grip on you tightening. "Frisk..."

 **• (You know, you tell her.)**  
• (But it's worth it, you promise.)  
• (You just hope she'll trust you one more time.)  


Toriel keeps you close to her, leaning the chair back with you and cradling you against her shoulder. You couldn't be happier. 

"I'm not going to see him. But... I will accompany you, my child, as far as the end of the RUINS." Her tone is firm, but you have to beg forgiveness later. 

 **• (You're not going to see Asgore for you)**  
• (It's for Mom, so she can introduce her new son)  


Toriel's eyes fill with tears. "I cannot go with you. I've  made my choice, Frisk." 

**• (Mom, you deserve it.)**

"Frisk, I can't-" 

**• (You would do it for her if you could.)  
**

"But I-"

**• (You want to repay her. Helping her do this how.)**

"But I don't  _want_ to forgive him, Frisk!" Toriel shouts, holding you close. "I'm not going to just  _forgive_ him for the lives lost at his hand, Frisk! He's stolen six children from me, I'm not taking y-you to his feet to watch him take you too!" You pet her cheek consolingly, tears already staining the soft fur. You take your time. 

 **• (He won't take you too.)**  
• (You're too determined to lose to a big fuzzy pushover like him.)  


Not even Toriel can tell if she's laughing or crying, so you press your foreheads together, letting her hold you as your still-soft horn nubs rub against her temples. It'll be okay, you just know. 

".... you're t-too determined f-for me to convince you otherwise, a-aren't you, Frisk...?" Toriel wonders aloud, but you give her a winning smile and nuzzle her cheek. Yeah, you're definitely too determined to let the King of Monsters stand in your way. 

You brought the queen with you, after all. 

* * *

 

Mom makes you both wait a few days while she recovers, but it's okay. You're excited to be leaving the RUINS, though you are definitely going to come back here later if you have the chance. Mom insists you get prepared, but you gotta admit, there's not a whole lot to prepare with. The spiders gave you a donut as a baby shower gift, Mom made pie, and you snagged a piece of candy from the flowerbed area ages ago. It's time to go already! 

You pace in the leaf pile, having just freshly  **SAVED** , but Mom isn't going to be out here. You just... Are going to have to deal with finding other  **SAVE POINTS**. And not be incredibly worried about that. 

 _"Brave feet, Toriel."_  

You head inside, your clothes from before not quite fitting like they used to, your shirt riding up around your middle, though your baggy shorts are now just shorts. At least you don't need shoes anymore. Toriel's in the kitchen, dressed and ready,  talking to someone on her cellphone in the kitchen. You scurry out of sight, and listen in. 

"Yes,  I know... No, he- they... yes, I understand. No, they haven't. Not yet..." Toriel sighs, and for a moment, you think she's seen you, before you hear her turn on the stove, safely out of sight. "... Okay. I'll be sure to pick up the materials on my way. Where did you say it was again? ... Ah, yes. Below, right? I see. Thank you for  your time." Toriel hangs up, and in a few moments, she strides out of the room, teakettle on to boil. "Frisk! Are you done packing?" She calls, walking right past you and out the door, looking for you in the leaf pile. You grin, getting to your feet and dashing down the stairs, your feet thumping on the hardwood loud enough to be heard outside as you dash down the stairs. You giggle when you hear her voice behind you, sprinting through the underground passage with a giddy sort of joy in your bones. You turn the corner just as Mom makes it down the stairs, and you laugh when she calls  your name. Safe to say, you beat her to the door, out of breath and still bouncing with excitement  as she catches up with you. 

"Frisk..." She pants, kneeling and hugging you tight. "You have to stay where I can see you, Frisk, or I can't keep you safe." Mom frets, but you smile and tell her it'll be okay. You're not gonna go far, you promise. You even hold her hand while she unlocks the door, stale air oozing forth from the untouched hallway. Mom looks nervous. 

 **• (It's okay, you say.)**  
• (You're going to stay with Mom every step of the way, if it kills you.)  


The second door is opened a little differently - since Toriel destroyed the key a while ago, Mom has a different plan. You get to sit back and watch while you hold her stuff, Mom lining herself up with the door, before charging, leaping, and kicking it through with a mighty  _wump_ , managing to stick the landing and stand perfectly atop the door. You clap, dropping things all over, but you don't care, that was  _awesome!!_ You have the feeling she's blushing, but to you, she just looks more radiant as you step into the woods beyond. You haven't seen such blueish snow before, but Mom tells you it's because it can't see the sky. You frown, because that totally can't be the reason why, the sky is already blue, failing to notice a figure not really moving in the woods  around you. In fact, you fail to notice until you cross a big, thick branch, and shortly thereafter, you hear it snap. You hold tighter to Mom's hand, looking behind  you to confirm it was the branch, but you try not to let your determination falter when you see it broken, twice. 

You look back ahead, and tell yourself that you and Mom can handle whatever comes your way. You brought the Queen with you, you can't lose!

... Right?

 


	5. A Warmed Welcome

You're glad that Mom met a friend out on the path, but...

Well, you admit to feeling a little left out when all she does is talk, talk, talk to him. He showed up, showed you a shortcut, and now you're in the loud diner at the bar, a cool guy who's literally made on fire tending  to the opposite end of the bar from you and  Mom. You think you like him. 

"Hey, kid." An annoyingly familiar voice brings your gaze back over to him and Mom. "I didn't ever introduce myself. Name's sans." The skeleton offers you a hand, and you know better than to decline in front of Mom. Your hand meets his, but when you squeeze, you nearly smack him as you pull your hand away from the farting whoopee cushion, your face red as Mom laughs. He chuckles a little, before gesturing to the door. "C'mon, it's time to go to my place. You guys'll sleep in my room, and I'll work on getting you something that fits. Sound cool?" 

You regard him with suspicion, but you sigh, and nod. "Awesome. But first, we gotta eat. What do you want?" You scowl, shrugging and looking up to Mom. 

"Do you want to try red meat, Frisk?" She asks softly, reaching up to pet your head, and you feel just a bit better as you nod. "Alright, and what do you think you'll  want; juice or pop?" You think on it, before you point out the pop. That  orange fizzy stuff looks great. Mom laughs, and orders you a sprite instead, though you have the same burger that she and Sans are getting already. Sans claims he's going to pay, and the fiery guy shows up, takes their order, and a duck lady at the bar informs you something about some guy named Grillby and water not being his thing. You think the duck is odd, but the fire guy is back really fast, setting three burger plates in front of them, and in a showy surge of fire magic, he brings  everything up to just the right temperature. You're in awe, but he's back across the bar again, and you can't thank him from here. You're not one to sulk, so instead you set about grabbing ketchup for your fries, as you're so used to doing, but when you tip the bottle, the cap comes out, and all the ketchup in the bottle along with it. You've soaked like, half of your burger, and all of the fries, the horror on your face captured on a surreptitious camera, courtesy of Sans. You whimper, and  Mom simply switches your trays, taking a knife to transfer over a much more reasonable portion of ketchup into your basket. The world is a wonderful place with Mom in it. 

Ketchup properly portioned, you dip a fry and take a bite. Even as a monster now, you're  still filled with the sensation of it, the warm crispy crunch of the outside, the starchy innards, and that perfect sweet ketchup aftertaste. The whole basket is gone in the blink of an eye, but at least your burger is left, your skin still tingling with leftover sensation. Your furry fingers waver  only a little bit as you grab it, dip a side in ketchup, and take as big a bite as you can. You even get the satisfaction of  chewing it just a  bit  before it too converts  itself into energy, the savory taste radiating from your core and filling every inch of you. 

You love monster food. 

Mom beams at you, taking her ketchup-filled plate and trading it with sans, eating his burger instead as she keeps her hand on your head, rubbing between your  horns in praise. You didn't even realize you could like something that much, your feet twitching a little bit involuntarily when she skritches juuuust right. Your head comes to rest  against her shoulder, her hand in yours, but it's too  soon when Sans and Mom finish, and you have to get up for Mom. It's cold outside, but Sans doesn't live very far away, and when they enter, they're greeted by a rambunctious, much taller skeleton. You like him a lot, though he is a little bit shouty, and he's excited to show you to your room. Mom and Sans stay downstairs while the tall skeleton - "THE GREAT PAPYRUS!" as he calls himself - leads you upstairs, showing  off his bedroom first. Marked with stop signs and caution tape, you think you can dig it as he opens the door, racecar bed with double the necessary amount  of  pillows for two people decorating your immediate  view as you decide yes, you really like Papyrus. He guides you in, and he's happy to show you his robot and sexy alien figurines - he calls them "ACTION FIGURES" - and he even lets you take one of the rad robots. He says he wants it back before you leave, but you only hope you remember to give it back. Papyrus would be so sad if he didn't get this back, you can tell. 

He shows you his books and his flag  and his closet, he even shows you his computer. You've never been on the internet before - you never could figure  out that stupid "Internet Explorer" thing - and Papyrus is happy to show you this little music sharing site where he follows a spooky DJ. You know the name, but you can't place where, and the tunes sound eerily familiar, though you're quite certain you've never heard them before. 

"THE MUSIC'S GOT GUSTO, A RARE THING NOWADAYS." Papyrus explains, reaching around behind you to get to the mouse, his chin on your head as he shows you something else. "BUT I FOUND THIS WONDERFUL VIDEO SHARING SITE CALLED MEVID.COM, AND IT'S PACKED FULL OF GOODIES THAT A NEW FRIEND LIKE YOU WOULD  ENJOY!" You curiously click the link he hovers over, the black layout displaying thumbnails for a bunch of videos of all sorts. You can hear footsteps up the stairs as you move to  click one particular video that caught your eye, when Papyrus hastily swats your hand  away and clicks back to the music forum. You want to ask why, but then Mom walks  in, and you know it's time to go. You thank Papyrus, skittering over to Mom and taking her hand. Sans is behind her, his gaze  unnerving as he points down the hall. 

"its go time kiddo. you guys are goin in my room." Says the killjoy, so you cast one last look at the computer, before heading with Sans and Mom to your room for the night. It's plain, littered with a bit of trash, and there's a treadmill in the middle of the room. The mattress is  poking  out underneath the  hastily thrown on sheets, their off-green color distressing to the eye and the bright pink pillows and heart blankets that decorate it are no better. There's "MTT" written in the middle of most of the hearts, usually the big ones, Mom laughing when Sans shows her the room. 

"Do you really think I'm sleeping in this?" She giggles, before she scooops  you up, letting you eagerly cling to her hip as she shakes her  head at Sans. "I'm going to talk to your brother, and we're going to sort this  mess out." 

"Aw, Tori, c'mon, it's not that bad..." Sans blushes a different blue than Napstablook, trying to block  the doorway. "It's all clean and everything." 

"Sans, I'm going to see your brother. If Papyrus would sleep in this room, then I would _consider_ sleeping here." Toriel informs him, before a balanced kick to the face sends Sans back over the split level, down to the first floor as Toriel huffs, heading back to Papyrus' room. You couldn't be happier, holding tight and kissing Mom's cheek. "Yes, Frisk? What do you need?" She coos, nuzzling your cheek as she enters  Papyrus' room. You shake your head, holding on tight as Toriel  informs Papyrus of  the room swap. 

"ROOMS? ER... WELL... YOU SEE, MY BED IS NOT ALL THAT VERY WIDE..." He explains sheepishly, gesturing to the racecar window sides. "I WORRY IT WOULDN'T FIT THE TWO OF YOU COMFORTABLY." 

You look to Mom. You share a silent moment, before she looks back up at Papyrus. "We'll make it work, but thank you for your concern. Is there anything we need to know about the bed?" Seeing defeat, Papyrus concedes, showing them where he keeps the extra blankets, before he  heads out to go help Sans get ready. Shutting the door, Mom finds the lock, gently twisting  it closed. She lets you down, and you  both get ready for bed, pulling off your clothes tucking in under the blankets. You notice that Toriel's shirt is oddly wet when she takes it off, and once you're both settled, you ask. 

"Hm? Oh, Frisk... Did no one teach you about the body?" Mom worries, your face tucked between her breasts as she pets you underneath the blanket. You shake your head, relishing in the rise and fall of your chin as she takes a deep breath. "Well... When mothers - or, those who gestate monsters - start a pregnancy, their bodies change to anticipate both the monster and the baby's needs in the future. My body tried to get me ready for nursing a very little baby, and... Well, this is the result. They will stop on their own, after a time, once my body figures out there's no baby to prepare for. But for now, they're... Sensitive, and I'll be fine with that. You don't have to worry about hurting me." She coos softly, and you nod for her, sitting up just a little bit. 

**• (You want to help.)  
• (Besides, good milk shouldn't go to waste.)**

Mom looks embarrassed, but after a quick glance at the  door, she agrees to your request. You thank her with a little kiss to her snout, before you duck  back beneath the blankets, your legs  tangled with hers as you pull furry lips around one  of her swollen teats, her body warming  below you, just  how you  like it. It's a little harder than you expected to get milk to come forth, but with Mom's guidance, you both find the perfect position for you to drain her dry. It's so sweet, it's like the candy bar from so long ago, filling your every hair with the delightful sensation. You yourself feel rather warm  by the time you drain the first, panting to  regain your breath as Mom bites her lip, raising a hand to  her mouth to keep herself  quiet when you latch on to her full teat. You realize you finally feel  _full_ for  the first time in a while as  you suckle  on the last of  Toriel's milk,  pulling off  when you're done and kissing her nipples each in thanks for putting up with you. Snuggling right back down with a full belly, you feel like you could sleep, if not for your curiosity. Mom takes a little bit  to fall asleep, which you admit is probably because the space between you is so warm, but once you're certain she won't wake, you slip out of her grasp and trek over to the computer. Alright, time to find that video. 

 **• (You don't know what you expected.)**  
• (But it wasn't this.)

You stare in confusion at the monsters on the screen. What on earth could this all be? Why is she making that noise? 

**• Ha. Now Mom will set things right.**

You turn in alarm, Mom sitting up in bed with confusion as the video squawks again. You try what Papyrus did before, but now it's just the noise, not the pictures. You panic, but as you tab back to it, Mom reaches over you, clicking it closed. You look up with fear, knowing you've been caught doing something you shouldn't have, but  all Mom does is pick you up and carry you back to bed, turning the computer monitor off first before you both lie back down, this time with you on the mattress and Mom curled around you. You fear you upset her as she settles, but once the blankets have been tucked, and  you almost think Mom's asleep, she speaks.

"Do  you remember what I said about the body getting ready for things?" You nod, your eyes on her closed ones as you settle  into each other. "There's a step that comes before  gestation... looks like you  found it." She sighs, opening her eyes to  look down at you. "Sex is a very pleasurable part of the whole gestation process, though it... didn't seem to be necessary, for you and I." She's clearly embarrassed about that bit, but she pulls your  head to her chest, so you take it as a signal she's not mad and cuddle right up to her. 

"If... it came around..." Mom explains after a pause, you'd nearly fallen asleep. "... I would like to teach you, myself. T-To make sure you're ready." You scowl at her fur, sleepy brain trying to process the implications of that. After a moment, you ask what would be coming around. Mom sighs. "It isn't uncommon that... in preparation for gestation.... bodies will sometimes make you want to go have a whole lot of sex, to ensure a pregnancy, for a period of days. Called heats or estrus, they  can be  confusing, frustrating, and distracting without.... experience. I h-have a bit  of mine to share, i-if... that would make  you happy." You frown, but you nod again, and nod off in her arms almost immediately. Mom's awesome, you've concluded. 


	6. Chapter 6

Furry bossmonsters are the best, you think. Skeletons, on the other hand, you feel pretty neutrally about, seeing how all this talk about "new" clothes was just a farce - loose basketball shorts that are almost too loose at the waist even with the drawstring done up all the way, a faded blue parka that's surprisingly warm, and an orange sweatshirt that reads "COOL DUDE" on the front in Papyrus' careful hand. Not what you imagined, but at least it actually covers you, fending off the chill of Snowdin as you and Mom step into the snow. It feels weird, not feeling the air on your legs, but you brave it for Mom as she gives the skeletons a hug. You promised Papyrus that you would call him later, but you think you're going to have Mom talk for you. Papyrus is loud enough for the both of you to hear him over the phone, and they both shout goodbyes at your back as Mom finally leaves. Your hand fits in hers just right as you head down the road, past the shed where Papyrus said he'd show you one day. You have a feeling you don't really wanna go in there, but it's the thought that counts, right? 

"Frisk," Mom draws your attention back up to her. You give her a smile. "Frisk, be serious. Are you doing alright, my child?" Her voice is quiet, like she's afraid that being too loud will frighten you out of an answer. But, you need to be serious, for Mom. 

 **• (You've never felt better.)**  
• You never deserved her.  


"Thanks to me?" Mom holds your hand tighter, and you find yourself smiling at the way her nose turns pink. You nod, turning your eyes to the road as you lean your head against her arm. Mom's always so warm, thanks to  fire magic. She makes it a little less awful to navigate dark, cold caves. "Well... I wouldn't take all that much credit for it." You look back up to her  in confusion as snow gives way to gravel, which is... no, it's really not better in any way. You hate all the rocks under your feet. "It was your idea. I wouldn't have thought up something like that, not without your help. If... not for you, I think..." She rubs at her eyes, looking away from you. "... I would have lost you." 

 **• (How lucky, you think)**  
• (that Mom came along)  
• (and SAVED you.)  


You wouldn't have had it any other way. 

Mom kneels, and you hug her tight, letting her cry into your shoulder, rubbing her back. "Frisk..." 

**• "I love you, Toriel."  
**

"A-And I-I love y-you, Frisk. A-Always." Mom holds  you tight, letting you place a gentle, loving kiss on her  cheek before you bury your face in her fur. Mom's always so warm, even when she's upset. 

 **• (You love your Mom anyways.)**  
• You lie to mine every day.   



	7. WaterFall

The trip through waterfall is a slow, but... nice one. It was nice just to spend time with Mom, let her explain what this thing or that thing was and how it was used. How this person or that person did this or that on the way here. She helped build some of the walkways, she even used to hunt bugs here for pies. She laughs when your face contorts with disgust at the memory, but you love her nonetheless. At least you're not a weirdo who eats bugs voluntarily. 

 **• Bugs taste great, ungrateful swill.**  
**• And while we're at it, get away from Her.**

Nah, you don't think so. You're going to listen to Toriel, not some annoying whiner. 

**• I won't ask this time.**

You think they're full of hot air, though you're not really listening to Mom, or looking around. 

**• You have no choice.**

"Frisk!!" Mom's voice startles you seamlessly into control...

 **• (You almost managed to catch her hand)**  
**• (Before you fell.)**

" _FRISK!!!_ " 

**• (You can't remember how long you fell.)  
• (Just how very, terribly, awfully hard.)**

* * *

Papyrus welcomes Sans to the couch just as his phone goes off, his smile never failing when Sans puts an alarmed hand in his pocket. "DON'T WORRY, BROTHER. I'M SURE WE HEARD WRONG." 

"sup?" 

Papyrus and Sans both flinch when they hear Toriel wail into the phone. 

"... I'M SORRY. I'LL GO GET UNDYNE, WE'LL FIND THEM!" Papyrus informs sans, leaving his brother to try to console Toriel as he pulls out his own phone, heading outside.

"UNDYNE? I NEED TO ASK A FAVOR."

"... A favor?"

"A HUMAN HAS FALLEN DOWN, AND WE NEED YOUR HELP TO RETRIEVE THEM, FAST."

"A- wh- Papyrus! Why didn't you call me sooner?? Now hang up and call Alphys!"

"YES MA'AM!"

The run down the path is much longer than Papyrus had thought it would be, but Toriel is right where Papyrus was told. Sans is probably trying to still talk to her, but Papyrus knows that right now might not be the time. Toriel swallows down a wet sob, her hands digging into the dirt as you hug her gently. "... wh-why... now...?" She sounds astonishingly calm for having just lost her child, again. "Wh-Why a-always n-now?!" 

"TORIEL, UNDYNE IS ON HER WAY. WE'RE READY FOR IT, THIS TIME." Papyrus offers, trying to pat her back, but instead she turns, grabbing his bony neck.

" **YOU KNEW?!** " Oh Undyne, please get here quick. " **YOU BOTH KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN AND YOU DID _NOTHING_ TO PREVENT IT?!** " 

"F-FOR THE RECORD, T-TORIEL, W-WE WERE TRYING T-TO MAKE SURE SOMETHING WORSE DIDN'T HAPPEN! WE MADE S-SURE IT WOULD BE FIXABLE, THIS WAY!"

" **WHAT'S THERE LEFT TO _FIX_  NOW?!**" Toriel shrieks, but before she can do anything rash, Undyne arrives, tackling the two of them and pinning Toriel as fast as she can. There's an awful lot of fire  in the air. " **DID YOU REALLY THINK YOU COULD GET AWAY WITH THIS?!** " Papyrus has to act fast, hastily pinning all three of them together in a cage to prevent anything from getting any further than here. Thank god for Sans and his shortcuts. " **THROWING AWAY THEIR LIVES FOR SOME STUPID _VENGEANCE_?!** " Flames are quickly starting to fill the box, Toriel's far from done here. " **AS IF KILLING CHILDREN WOULD MAKE IT _BETTER?!_** " Undyne is starting to feel the heat, but she can make it. " **MURDER MAKES YOU NO BETTER THAN THEM!!** " The box is hot, Undyne's seeing spots, but Toriel's phone's still on, and from its place on the ground, they can hear a familiar voice. 

"hah... tori... i'm at the dump with alphys, we'll be there. just... hff.. hold on." They can hear him struggling through  the water, Alphys rambling on in the back about how to find traces of monster kid. Toriel's eyes burn already, but pinned, her eyes are forced to shut. "... shit, i think she can see... red. hold on!" There's the sound of the phone being jammed in his pocket, and he becomes too faint to hear. 

 **• I told you.**  
• You have no choice.  
• Now die already.  



	8. • I won't let you have Her

Toriel shakes in the towel over her shoulders, staring down at the cocoa she'd slowly been turning to water, body drenched "for her own good". Liars, all of them.

The lab around her whirrs, Undyne posted at the door to Toriel's makeshift cell, while Papyrus, Sans, and Alphys go through the motions, pretending as though they hadn't betrayed her already. It's never their fault, is it? Toriel will show them. She will show every last monster in the underground if that's what it takes to keep this from  _ever_ happening again. Hell, she thinks she'll start by showing Asgore. After all,  it's  _his_ stupidity that drove them to this. 

"You know..." Undyne murmurs, texting and leaning against the cage. "... Alphys says they will make it." 

"You all lied."

"We didn't lie to you, Toriel. We just didn't know how to stop it. That's what we gotta believe." 

"And what other lies will you voluntarily subscribe to? I think I can name a few." Toriel mutters, but instead of a retort, Undyne just  points to the elevator, Papyrus approaching. 

"HELLO AGAIN, MISS TORIEL. I HAVE GOOD NEWS, AND BAD NEWS."

"Get it over with already." 

"THE GOOD NEWS IS FRISK  WANTS TO SEE YOU. THE... BAD NEWS IS THAT FRISK CAN NO LONGER SEE ANYONE. NOT, THAT IS, IN A DEAD WAY, BUT  IN THE FALL DISCONNECTED A  NERVE KIND OF WAY. THEY WON'T EVER SEE AGAIN." Toriel's core feels as cold as her fur, her  body shivering once more. 

"... TORIEL?"

"I have a better solution, but you will all have to trust me." Toriel offers.  "It worked once before, I'm certain this will work again."

"THEN YOU SHOULD TALK TO ALPHYS. BUT YOU HAVE TO PROMISE YOU WON'T HURT ANYONE." Papyrus asks seriously, kneeling beside her cage. For a good few moments, Toriel glares into her cocoa, before  she nods. "I'LL GO GET YOUR CLOTHES, THEY SHOULD BE OUT OF THE WASH. STAY STRONG, TORIEL!" Papyrus cheers, before he's heading up the escalator upstairs. Undyne smirks back at Toriel. 

"See? No lies here. Frisk's still alive. And they still remember you." Toriel stands in her cage, finishing her watery cocoa off and doffing her towel. 

"You're lucky there are bars between you and I. Keep that in mind  when they go away." Toriel promises, Undyne straightening up and backing off of the cage. Papyrus is back in record time with her clothing, Toriel trying herself with her own fury as  she slips them on. "Please, Papyrus. Let's be fast." 

"Y-YES MA'AM!" He takes her hand, and the three of them head down the elevator, Undyne keeping a close eye on Toriel the entire time. Papyrus is nervous the whole way down, but about halfway, the elevator stops. Toriel's gaze meets Undyne's before it goes dark, the lights  flickering, and the elevator dropping as the lab loses power. It falls, fast, and in a split-second action, Toriel grabs the doors, yanking them open just in time to yank herself, Undyne, and Papyrus out before the elevator collapsed on itself. The three of them lay in the darkened, dirty lab, a few monitors having been lit towards one side. As soon as Toriel feels like she can move  again, she's up, Undyne still out of breath and Papyrus moving to  help her, Toriel heading towards the light. "

"Frisk? Alphys?" Her tone is level, though her volume loud. Frisk doesn't need to see her mad, but Toriel just needs to see them,  _now_. 

"tori, down this way." Sans steps from the doorway, his coat zipped up for once. Toriel looks right  through him, scowling. "easy, tori. i can explain, er... i can  explain what frisk can't. they won't talk to us." Toriel takes a deep breath, closing her eyes, and pushes her way past sans into the room. Frisk's  there, lying  at an odd angle on a hospital bed, Alphys working on getting an oxygen tube hooked up. Everything feels cold inside. 

_Brave feet, Toriel._

She kneels by the bed, taking Frisk's hand. They immediately squeeze her fingers, Toriel trying her best not to cry again. 

"It's me, my child. Can you hear me?" They nod. Toriel sighs in relief. "What happened, Frisk?" 

Frisk is silent for a good few moments, before they summon up  the determination to breathe, wheezing, 

**• "Chara."**


	9. • Traitor.

**• (It all hurts.)**  
**• (At least it's nice and dark.)**  
**• (But through your determination...)**  
**• (Darkness might be all you have left.)**

Mom doesn't understand when you tell her. You didn't expect her to. No one would believe you've been listening to ~~**ME**~~  Chara either before you came down here. But... You can do this. You just have to be right about this.

"Frisk, where did you learn that name?" Why does she sound so sad? Why can't you tell the truth without hurting her?

 **• "Chara told me. Chara's been here for a long time."**  
**• And I am ready to end this.**  
**• "I love you, mom."**

You wish you could see her, but no one will turn on the lights. You feel your throat tighten, but Alphys gets oxygen hooked up just in time to keep you here. "Frisk, I already lost you once today. You're not going anywhere. Do you hear me?" Her voice is stern, your hand trapped between hers. She still feels silky soft  to you. "I won't let you die." 

**• "I'm counting on that."**

Breathing is hard, even with  liberal assistance. Her grip on your hand tightens, before  she pulls it away, moving over to talk to Alphys. Explaining why you look so human. If it went well last time, then there's a chance. Alphys just doubts it  will be easy. 

"We don't really have any other choice, do we?"   
"Toriel, this doesn't seem like a good  idea for you..."   
"I will manage. With, or without help. I've already done so once before."   
"Toriel, you could  _die_ if you did that!"   
"Then it's about time I did, Alphys. Better me than my children." 

Alphys is quiet after that, before she helps clear the room, informing Mom she'll stick around to supervise. You hear the door shut, cloth hit the floor, then you feel Mom wrap her arms around you, curling up  on the bed. Moving hurts, but you'll do it for her, reaching up to  hold onto her shoulder. "Frisk, do you think we could  do it again? It would be temporary, until we could find... Other help, but it would keep you alive." She explains gently. Your throat  won't cooperate, but neither will your neck, so you squeeze her, hoping she understands. "... I love you, my child. Be good, alright?" You give her another squeeze, and  with Alphys' guidance, you get set up. Toriel's magic has had time to recover,or so you hope. At least this time around, she'll have help, right? 

It hurts, hurts like falling, but you find your body conforming to hers readily, curling into her comes  naturally, and finally doesn't feel so painful. You pull your hand up to cover your horns, the sensation spiderwebbing down your body in ways you don't expect. You shiver, curling up tight as you can, your toes braced against Mom and twitching  involuntarily. Somehow, it  feels right to be back here. You knew you missed this place... You just  hope something can be done, soon. 

**• You can't hide forever.**

* * *

Alphys will be the first to admit she was skeptical of Toriel's claim, yet with proof right in front of her, Alphys still finds Toriel's idea hard to believe. At least she definitely looks the  part, white belly fur getting  thinner towards her belly button, skin stretched tight and body perfectly round. Totally not staring at hot furry boss monsters. Stepping out to get a blanket for Toriel, Alphys is immediately met by her sentries and ~~crush~~  their commanding officer. Alphys has an inkling that a little wave isn't going to do it. 

"IS TORIEL OKAY?" Papyrus' concern fills the hall between them, Alphys coughing nervously into her coat. 

"Uhm, well, a-alive is de-definitely a word I'd use! Yup!" She almost croaks. She hates when she gets nervous like this. "Look w-we should get the power b-back on  s-soon, so we can make sure that's a thing, alright?" 

Papyrus frowns, but Undyne agrees, and thus, she says so. They head deeper into the lab to go look for things, with Alphys barring the door. "W-Well sans? Aren't you g-gonna help?" 

"me? nah." His expression, for once, looks serious. "i'm gonna talk to tori and frisk. aren't you gonna let me in?"

Alphys is glad  her scales don't let people see her blush. "... N-Nah. C-Could you go g-get me a blanket, then?"

Sans looks her over, before nodding. "you mean this one right?" Of course, in his hand, he's already got the blanket she'd been  thinking of. Uncanny bastard. 

"Thanks a-a lot sans!" Alphys squeaks, before heading back in and locking the door as fast as she can. Toriel almost looks amused, but Alphys helps her get situated for now and stay warm until she can get the power back on, before leaving, and locking the door again. Sans doesn't wait very  long to step out of the shadows. 

"so, tori... how do  i say this...?" He asks, pulling up a chair and settling down beside Toriel, taking a hand. 

"... I'm crazy? You don't need to." Toriel sighs, shaking her head as she lays back against the pillows. Her body isn't so happy with her, but she can work with that. "... Why did you tell them not to intervene?" 

"remember how i said dad's old formulas get really accurate predictions?"

"Bullshit, but yes?"

"if it didn't happen right then, it would've been in asgore's place, with chara's old knife." Sans explains with a hung head. "but we can fix this. somehow." 

Toriel nods, closing her eyes as she squeezes his hand. "... I don't know how. I just need to keep Frisk safe. And... I might need help from a jokester I know." Sans looks up, and Toriel's grinning. "You kept me from getting too  **bone** ly while I waited for Frisk, and I need your help again." A skeleton needs a moment, holding her tight. 

"... i don't want to lose my newest friend." Sans murmurs. 

"I'm not going anywhere." 

Sans gets right to the point. "then what happened, tori? from the beginning, this time. who's chara, and who was frisk?" 

Toriel swallows her pride. "... Chara was my child, a long, long time ago. I don't know that much about Frisk, just that their village was  not far from the mountain. Frisk used to visit the cave, but then,  they tripped,  and fell down to join me." Her fingers squeeze his, trying to ease her nerves. "I lost Chara to illness, and my first child to hatred. Frisk is my ninth child, and beside my first, the one who has stayed with me the longest. This was not an easy accomplishment, of course..." Her hand rubs over her belly, Frisk almost immediately shivering in response. "... Humans are  made of solid things, and you and I are not. Frisk was wearing away, senses dulling, life dying. They told me they had an idea, and... It worked." 

"you mean..." 

"Frisk was human, when they came here. Now, as a monster, Frisk can finally learn the joys of magic, and... eat the food available here, trapped like the rest of  us." As much as they both know it's true, it's still hard to admit to. "It was supposed to be better this way. But I don't know how Chara could even be here, or  what Frisk meant, just yet, about how Chara was involved. But I happen to have just come across an awful lot of thinking time..." Toriel sighs, tugging the blanket  more securely around her belly. "... I'll figure something out." 

Sans looks to Toriel's body, how even down on her luck, she looks as wonderful and radiant as when Sans watched her kick down that door. "did you tell frisk about chara ever?"

"No. I hadn't thought to mention them. It's best not to bring up  old grievances." 

Hesitantly, he reaches up, before Sans lets  himself press  a hand to Toriel, rubbing her  belly in gentle circles, Toriel almost immediately shivering. "then we've got a lot of questions for chara, now don't we?" Toriel frowns, opening one eye to look back to sans. "if we want to stop this from happening again, we'll need to figure out what chara wants." His fingers run over where her skin is thinnest, crossing her legs. "any guesses to what that might be?"

Toriel closes her eyes, both hands gripping the blanket atop her, leaving Sans free todo as he pleases. "Chara-ahh... was a sad ch-child... but I wouldn't... know about  what they actually  _want_ from Frisk, or me." Sans rests his cheek against her belly. 

"why dont we think on it for tonight? get frisk figured first."   
"I... yes. Thank you."   
"don't  mention it tori"


	10. Beyond the Will

The power comes back  on after a good few hours, and none of the three who went to fix it feel like talking about it. Sans is napping against the floor, parka pulled over his face and white fur on his sleeves, Toriel  seeming just as exhausted. The heaters come on, Alphys gets everyone cocoa, and cushions are set out to  camp out in Toriel's room on Alphys' recommendation. The elevator cable snapped,  and they'll need to fix it, preferrably without being set on fire by a certain furry boss monster, but the staircase is old, the door rusted shut. Trapped, underground. I think I've heard this one before.

"So... According to Toriel... Our new mutual acquaintance is... Or, was, human." Alphys reveals to Papyrus and Undyne most of what Toriel told her - of how previously, this had healed Frisk. "We don't know if this will work on its own. When we get out, we have to contact Asgore and any other healers we know of. We can't just let Toriel die."

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH IT THIS TIME, IF IT WORKED BEFORE?"

"This time, Toriel is weakened from last time. There's a very big chance Frisk could simply suck the life from her and kill them both. Ideally, this means we get them out again as fast as possible, or find a way to sustain Toriel and aid in recovery. I want to do both, and I need you two to help me. Undyne, I'll leave it to you to decide who does what, but one of you should search healers, and the other, ways to make monsters stronger. At least one of you will find a better solution that way." Papyrus, understandably, looks nervous, but Undyne just nods solemnly. "Good. Now we need to find a way to signal the surface, so we can coordinate stringing a new cable. Any ideas? My phone doesn't get reception down here."

"ABOUT THAT... NEITHER DOES MINE." Papyrus admits. "I ALREADY TRIED TO CALL SANS, AND HE DIDN'T PICK UP."

"... Shit. Undyne?"

"Same kind of phone as him. Nothing but magic spears."

Alphys sighs, head in her hands. "... Toriel's old brick might get something. We'll just have to hope you guys grabbed it..."

"ALPHYS? DO YOU KNOW WHY TORIEL CALLED US MURDERERS?"

She freezes. "... Murderers...? I... No. We did nothing. Frisk just fell. Didn't they?"

"FRISK FELL A LOT FURTHER THAN MOST MONSTERS COULD SURVIVE. AND STRANGER STILL, THERE WERE MANY, MUCH EASIER FALLS TO LESS LETHAL PLACES ON MY WAY. THAT SPOT WAS ALMOST THE HIGHEST I CAN THINK OF IN THE MARSHES. IT... SEEMS INTENTIONAL. DID YOU SEE WHAT HAPPENED?"

Alphys is glad of her hands on her face. "... I-I might have seen something... I use pr-probes in the area, I should check my footage." **Alone.**

"PERFECT! PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU FIGURE IT OUT, SO WE CAN DEAL WITH IT IMMEDIATELY. I HATE NOT KNOWING MY ENEMY." Papyrus is much more enthusiastic about this than Alphys feels entirely comfortable with, and she's gonna let it slide like water off a gorgeous fish's back.

"No problem. I-I'll tell everyone what I see, o-once I get back to the terminal upstairs." Alphys could track Frisk in a hurricane, even with her lab on backup power, the stuff above is still connected to the CORE, and should be working. All she needs is enough power to run her laptop, and she can access any point in the feed that she'd like. The generator down here is working for now, though its output is tragically low, Alphys doesn't count on it staying that way, for better or worse. How all the generator keys got misplaced in the first place is beyond Alphys, but whatever it was is probably gonna be a dick and do it again.

Probably.

"Hey, uh, Alphys..." Undyne begins, the power flickering.  
"... Alphys, I need to show you something." Twice, this time. Alphys isn't nervously picking her coat apart. No way would she do that in front of Undyne.  
"Now, before the power dies."

"We're not abandoning Toriel!" 

"Yeah I know, I'm leaving Papyrus in charge. He's got this." Undyne grabs Alphys by the collar, leaving Papyrus to wave at their backs as Undyne charges out the door with Alphys tucked under her arm like a football. The door shuts with an ominous slam, making the bed within shake ever so slightly. 

Outside, the lights may be on, but no one seems to be home. Undyne books its sprinting as fast as she can manage to the mirrored hallway, but where rows of yellow flowers once stood, vines, cracked pots and soil litter the table. "Here!" Undyne sets Alphys down, pulling out her cellphone to shine its light on the mirrors. In the hall-long reflection, they see the ominous, soulless grin of a certain someone. Someone who is VERY interested in Chara, and with good reason too.

In a flash, the thick vine headed for their faces is stabbed apart by a magic spear, courtesy of Undyne. The hallway back is blocked, vines enclosing the space. 

"Now now... No need to be so stabby." Instructs an old Friend from above. "I'm here to give you help."

A magic spear in each of their hands, two scaly monsters consider a soulless suggestion. "How can we trust you?" Undyne demands, the vines beginning to creep closer and closer.

"I will give you the ability to heal Frisk. No tags, no terms, that's all I'll give you. But in exchange..." The vines loom lower, their distorted, soulless grin flanking them in the mirror. "You will deliver Frisk to Asgore for me. Don't worry, if you somehow fail miserably and kill them again, before they reach Asgore," Alphys' heart is cold to it's very core. Her spear is shaking. "I will simply be taking that power back from you all. No matter what it takes."

"You'll try to kill us all?" Undyne growls. "What exactly will you do?"

"I will need to be alone with them both for a few minutes, and then, I will be done, hopefully gone forever from your lives."

The threat is neither subtle nor missed. "Fuck no, creep. There's gotta be plenty of other ways than accepting your help!" Alphys nearly cries when Undyne shouts at the plant closing them in. "Fuck off, fuck you, and stay the fuck away from Frisk and Toriel!" Her chest feels tight, but Undyne's spear has a mind of its own, both hers and Alphys' spears lunging into the plant's face as one.

The vines slam forward, grabbing the spears and wrenching them easily from their grip. Smoking gouges in the plants face heal rapidly, additional petals framing it's face to cover the scars. "Did you not hear me, buddy? I said I'm here to help, not offer it." It's face contorts to a more neutral one, rising out of sight. "You're going to do as I asked, but not because I asked. You're going to do it because you won't want to do anything else." The vines constrict the air right out of Undyne and Alphys, a disturbing cackle echoing from the hole where the vines descend as they ease under their clothes, stripping them in mere seconds as each limb is coiled in vines. Clothes are deposited on the floor, folded and kept pristine - after all, this won't work if they don't look like themselves, Papyrus isn't that cooperative. They're tied together, Undyne and Alphys, but Alphys' tail is forced between Undyne's thighs, little ridges pressing up against Undyne's underside.

Undyne did make a valiant attempt to not make noise, but things would be just too much  _fun_ if they got caught now! No, instead, a vine yanks Alphys' tail up by the tip, before wrapping firmly around Undyne's mouth, coiling twice around her before ascending into the ceiling where it must be rooted. It doesn't even mind when her sharp teeth dig into it, the vine constricting painfully tight every time Undyne tries to bite down, yanking the tip of Alphys' tail up hard each time. Having bound each of their limbs separately, Undyne's thighs are pulled together around Alphys' tail, while Alphys is spread wide. One tendril, then two, then three vines, twisted together to make a larger  overall structure, press against Alphys' vent, leaving Alphys rather grateful for the vine that swiftly wraps her snout shut. The vine pulling her tail and the ones teasing her vent synch up, her tail bobbing  up and down in time with each rub of the three between her legs. Once, twice, then on the third, the vines finally make it in, a yelp held in by force as the vines secrete a starchy, lubricating sap as her body squeezes them. All according to plan, really, as the vines inch deeper, Alphys' tail now rather wet as her ridges are  dragged back and forth across Undyne. Who thought anime would actually be an educational experience? 

Certainly not Undyne, a few vines around her arms snapping as she does her best to thrash, to escape, to make this as much of a pain in the ass for her captor as possible. She even manages to draw one hand out, grasping for the vine around her throat, but the moment her hand makes contact, she's yanked forward, her hand flailing to recapture her  balance, landing on a vine and immediately ensnared again as Undyne's leaned  forward, nearly parallel with the floor as she's pulled away. Her arms are bound to her sides, Undyne's resistance shattered when she's shoved backwards, right onto Alphys' outstretched tail. Neither of them expected it, nor the sensations resulting, tears welling in both of their eyes as Alphys' tail shivers, twitching and almost wriggling inside of Undyne as the vines in Alphys' vent press up against her cervix, filling her as far as she can go. Undyne, however, does not get this courtesy, pulled forward off of Alphys' tail in time with their previous pace, but when Undyne's pulled back towards her, the tip of Alphys' tail is forced in deep, and through force alone, through her cervix.

Undyne's going to have a hard time using her voice after this, clinging to the vines for dear life as they pick up the pace, the ache of Undyne's poor cervix driving salty tears down her cheeks as the vines push her mouth open, just enough to sneak a thin, juicy bulb in past her teeth, oozing a bitter sort of nectar down her throat. It tingles, before doing what any self-respecting monster food would do - dissolving immediately into every fiber of Undyne's being, the tingle in her throat filling her muscles, her core, even the very tips of her fins with an almost numbing sensation, before it fades to a desperate, burning pleasure, her cervix's complaints now silenced. Undyne almost welcomes the stretch in her belly when Alphys is shoved back against her again, the tip of her tail curling involuntarily as Alphys is given a similar drug, but she fails to notice the thin tendril still wrapped around Alphys' tail, letting her do the work to get it into and past Undyne's cervix. Once in, the tip swells, filling with fluid to keep it from falling back as Alphys is pulled out. Seeing how far they can go, the widening of Alphys' tail prevents her from going much further than an inch or two into Undyne's womb, but it doesn't stop the vines from slamming them together anyways. When the nectar finally takes its effect on Alphys, the vines inside her finally up the ante, matching placement with her tail inside of Undyne as her cervix fails to even give a damn, the three vines pushing in easily, unraveling from the tip as they work together to spread Alphys out, her scales bulging outwards as something wet oozes its way up between the vines. Into her cunt it goes, her body straining to contain it as it's squeezed through her cervix and deposited safely inside her womb for use later. As a reward, the vines twist inside Alphys, regular undulations made more frantic, happy to fuck Alphys stupid, and by extension, Undyne, the thin tendril inside of her slowly forcing an inch-wide sphere up and through itself, working it slowly into Undyne's womb along with the motions of Alphys' tail.

After that, orgasm's just a few moment's away, fabled stars in their eyes as they're gently set back down on the tile. Clothes left to the side, Undyne and Alphys get a few moments to get their breath back, the nectar's effects starting to fade from them already as the vines retreat, making the whole lab creak and shake as they do. When the two can finally sit up again, the holes in the tunnel of the lab are all the evidence they have of anything happening. Or at least, evidence they can't hastily hide the moment they get to a shower. Collecting their stuff, Undyne speaks first, after clearing her throat several times.

"... you're... *cough*... okay, right?" Alphys can feel her face heat, taking a webbed hand when it's offered as she gets to her feet. Just like Undyne, it takes Alphys a few moments to get her voice in working order, guiding them to the shower.

"I'll live." She whispers, her voice lost, alongside her dignity as she opens the door up first, filing in with Undyne behind her as she goes to the drain. The lights turn out as soon as the door shuts behind Undyne, Alphys looking back in surprise. From the faint light of under the door, Alphys can see Undyne's outline approaching, almost right behind her.

Kneeling, Undyne breaks the silence with arms around Alphys, her forehead resting against the scientist's shoulders. "I'm... sorry. I should ha-" Cough, clear throat, pretend like nothing happened. "-have stopped that. And I let... that, happen to you." Oh. Alphys understands why it's dark when there's moisture on her shoulder, Alphys very hesitantly reaching down to take a webbed hand in hers.

"It's not your fault." Alphys' expression sours with that familiar line. How many dying monsters had she said that to already? "We were both surprised."

"Alphys, I'm the-" Cough. "-head of the Royal Guard! I'm a piss poor Royal Guardian if I can't even stop _this_ from happening, and no one even died this time." Undyne's tense, even moreso than her usual, but nonetheless, Alphys leans back against her. "I'm saying I'm sorry, so just hurry up and accept the apology already."

Alphys can feel the butterflies in her gut, but she knows better than to let nerves stop her. "Then I'm sorry too. I-If only because... You weren't the only one with a spear." Her tone is light, if also nervous, but it fails to deter Undyne from snickering. Encouraged, Alphys wheezes, "After all, it was a pretty... _Magical_ , w-with you." Another snicker, falling into a giggle. Alphys can even feel herself smile. "But I guess I may have _came_ on a bit st-strong..."

Undyne's in stitches, so Alphys starts the tap, warming everything up. The shower's running by the time Undyne's had a good giggle, and the two step into the refreshing streams, kept close out of a need to find one another. Neither of them seem to mind when hands stray to places they might not have otherwise, though it does end up draining the hot water heater entirely, and they're forced to disembark before Alphys catches a cold. They would willingly forget everything even happened, were it not for the reminders lodged deep inside them, but as they will learn, you don't have to see it to be affected.


	11. • Mom, Listen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> • She'll hear me, eventually.

It's finally quiet.

But as a noble skeleton once said, "I HATE QUIET", then promptly found a spooky DJ to remedy this.

Papyrus, sadly, cannot find a spooky DJ at the moment, his phone in hand and his brother still asleep, yet alas, no bars this far down. All the cell towers were optimized to reflect around the Capital, but the CORE has a nasty habit of fuzzing those signals once you get directly below it. Sighing, he elects to check that little app he found on his phone a few years ago - it's a fortune teller, with a little golden flower holding a glass ball offering predictions for however long Papyrus asks, but he can't ask for a new one before the last prediction comes true. However, it was... Right, about its last prediction, down to the second. If it weren't for just how great he is, Papyrus would feel absolutely awful for inflicting that foreknowledge on Sans, telling him to be ready. But no, Papyrus did the right thing, warning him. They were ready, Frisk is still alive, and Miss Dreemurr is still with them. Papyrus has nothing to feel bad about!

He can just ignore the emptiness in his chest. It's not like it's normally full of organs or whatnot anyway.

Scowling, he launches the app, and asks for a prediction for the next hour. "Hmmm..." The little flower responds, its glass ball swirling with colors as the app attempts to communicate with the world outside the lab. "... Aha! Sources from headquarters say:" Wait, it got signal down here? "In the next hour, someone will be saved, someone will be bound, and two will go missing." Ah. Oh. Papyrus clears his throat, sneaking out of the room so he doesn't disturb Sans and Toriel.

"ALRIGHT MISTER FLOWER..." Papyrus mutters, unsettled by the way his voice echoes in the empty hallway. He... thinks he can hear something, far off, but the app dings, registering that it heard him. "...WHAT ELSE CAN YOU TELL ME TODAY? I'VE GOT LOTS TO REPORT TO YOU." He always tells the app when its predictions come true - helps them improve their data, right?

"Well," The flower pipes up, ball set aside. "I was right again, wasn't I? This makes for the 50th correct prediction in a row." Papyrus nods, the flower giggling. "Perfect. Yes, I can tell you more, but you have to promise me something first, Papyrus." He scowls at his phone, giving a wary nod to the flower onscreen. "First, you have to promise, just like last time, that you won't intervene before it's time."

Papyrus whines, "YOU THINK I WOULD JUST JEOPARDIZE TIME LIKE THAT? COME ON NOW, PREDICTICATOR, THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS BETTER THAN THAT. PLEASE, JUST TELL PAPYRUS WHAT WILL HAPPEN."

He never liked that flower's grin. "Frisk will live, with my help. Undyne and Alphys are going to be out of commission for a day or two - don't worry, they'll be coming back." The flower reports, just as enigmatic as ever as much louder noises float down the hall, but... Papyrus can't decipher between screaming and laughter. "You, however..." Papyrus looks back to his phone, glancing down the hallway every now and again as the flower continues, "... are going to be bound. I can't let you get in the way of progress, Papyrus, not now, and not ever again." The cage of bones barely summons itself in time to defend Papyrus from the crushing force of the vines that erupt from the wall, but just as fast as he could build it, the vines are covering it, preventing even the slimmest chance of escape.

"... How did you avoid it this time!?" The app asks incredulously, Papyrus' focus on the bars until then. He smiles, sweat already forming on his brow as he looks back down at his phone.

"BECAUSE, PREDICTICATOR, YOU FORGET HOW I TRAIN MYSELF EVERY DAY FOR THIS VERY CIRCUMSTANCE!" Papyrus declares, slowly sitting down in his cage so he can decrease its size, therefore its strain on him. "IN ONE OF MY FAVORITE NOVELS, 'ADVANCED PUZZLE CONSTRUCTION FOR CRITICAL MINDS', MY FAVORITE CHAPTER IS ON THE USE OF OMISSION IN INSTRUCTIONS, TO REMAIN CLEAR, YET NOT GIVE YOU THE ANSWER. I WILL ADMIT, YOU ALMOST HAD ME FOOLED!" Why not tuck in his knees, no harm in it. "BUT YOU CANNOT OUTFOX THE GREAT PAPYRUS, MASTER CHEF, AND EXTREMELY CONVINCING FOX! YOU SEE, PREDICTATOR," Papyrus halts as the cage shakes, but the flower seems just as worried, for only a split second.

"You cannot outsmart me, Papyrus. This was written in stone, and you can't stop me." The flower informs Papyrus, the world shaking once more. "Besides... Why would you want to stop your trusty Predicticator? Don't you love my perfect predictions?"

"AHA! THAT IS WHERE YOU ARE WRONG, MY PREDICTICATOR FRIEND! YOUR PREDICTIONS, WHILE VERY GOOD, LEAVE TOO MUCH UNSAID FOR THEM TO TRULY COUNT WITHOUT ASKING FOR ELABORATION, BUT OH, HAVE THEY COUNTED ANYWAY. A KEEN PUZZLER AND MATRIX MAKING MACHINE, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, ALREADY KNOW WHAT YOUR NEXT PREDICTION WILL BE." The flower on the phone looks doubtful, but it doesn't make Papyrus' grin waver.

"What," the flower asks, frustrated, distracted. Thank every one of the bones in Papyrus' (battle) body for that. "Do you think I'm really going to keep giving you predictions after this? As if!" The flower's face contorts, but Papyrus keeps his eyes fixed on it, not wanting to miss key information. "Down here, it's kill or be killed. It's only a matter of time before I bury you deeper under this mountain than even monsters have dared tread. All I have to do is wait you out."

"IS THAT SO? WELL, PREDICTICATOR, I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE YOU NEED TO OUTLAST." Papyrus boasts, rattling in his clothes. He's not scared, no one scares the Great Papyrus! "MY BROTHER SANS WILL BE HERE IN NO TIME AT ALL, AND UNLIKE THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HE WILL HAVE AMPLE ROOM TO DEAL WITH THE LIKES OF YOU!" Or nap right through Papyrus' demise. He's trying not to think about that. "YOU WILL NEVER DEFEAT HIM!"

"I see..." The flower mutters, footsteps passing by the end of the hall, totally unaware of its contents. "In that case, I won't." The flower shrugs. "If he's anything like you, he'll curl up like the coward he is and await his final bone crushing." Papyrus wishes his phone didn't have to make the flower laugh so loud. "Relax, and enjoy the end. It'll all be over soon." And with that, the app returns to its idle state, telling Papyrus he can ask for another prediction in an hour.

Skeletons can't cry, Papyrus is just tired and needs to rest his eyesockets.

* * *

The first rumble woke him, but the second is what it took to get him to open his eyes again, sitting up from the floor. Sore as hell from sleeping in the stupidest place possible, Sans barely has seen the room before he's strapped to the wall by vines, crushing his chest against the plaster as vines advance towards Tori. The first one to touch her bed is eviscerated, a cage of blue bones rising up around her, the moving vines stilling, before halting altogether. Sans knows surrender when he sees it.

"so, jumping ship now because you can't do it anymore?" Sans asks the sleepy room, his voice quiet for Toriel's sake. "or just too scared to face us all at once?" The vines are trying to crush the spite out of his ribcage, but Sans will just have to tough it out.

"Let down the barrier, and I will SAVE them both." Commands a worn, petal-pocked blossom from the vines. "I'm not here to hurt anyone who doesn't beg for it first."

Sans feels his sins crawling down his back. "and tori? what about her and frisk?"

"They can't ask for anything just now. But don't worry, I will even pinky promise that I won't hurt them. If only I wasn't down a pinky... hey, you have two, right?" The blossom grins, Sans clenching his jaw as he forces his hands behind his back.

"nah, fresh out. lost em in the hotcat stand back in hotland." Sans lies, vines grabbing his wrists and pulling them tight across his back, as if trying to dislocate his shoulders from their joints. "h-hey, but i'v-ve got a few spare... they're just back home." He has a feeling he's not going to be let to go get those, the vines hauling him up from the floor, angling him towards his barrier.

"Then I suppose we'll just have to skip the formalities. The barrier, Sans. Or I throw you into it." He's mere inches from taking a bone to the face, getting closer by the second. Sans does not feel good about this at all.

"too late to offer you a fake?"

"Chop chop, sentry. I wouldn't want to find out what happens when you touch those." Okay, okay, Sans can remove them. Bones go down, but Sans goes up, tied firmly to the ceiling as vines hastily cocoon Toriel, lifting her gently up from the bed. "Isn't compliance so much easier? Your little brother will be delighted to hear you survived." The flower promises, Sans' guilt keeping his mouth shut as Toriel's eyes finally open, a vine shoving itself into her mouth the moment she opens it to protest. Sans wishes she wouldn't look at him with such hurt in her eyes, looking away as vines jam themselves between Toriel's thighs, a familiar bleat impeded only by circumstance as her hands dig into the vines. However, this time, the flower's blossom hides, spreading Toriel just enough for a single, bright seed tendril to press in, kneading her still-stretchy cervix open, to the familiar face inside.

"Don't worry Mo- er, miss." The flower explains, hidden outside the range of Toriel's withering gaze. "I'm just collecting on a debt Chara owes me." If she weren't drained and immobilized, Toriel Dreemurr would have set this blasted plant on fire, but only the barest of sparks will come from her fingertips, and even that much is extremely taxing on her. That doesn't stop her from trying to wrench herself bodily away, but without even so much as a bone to pick on for help, she's stuck as the seed tendril to make its way into Toriel proper, blooming once past her cervix.

The tendril has three functions - the first, is to seek. The injury won't be hard to repair, but doing so slowly enough for Frisk will be easier if a flower's got the whole picture. The crack in their skull is deep, they're gonna need a whole new spine, and if there's anything to be done for their mind, Flowey's at a loss. Time to engage the second function: repair. The pistil of the blossom elongates, before the vine pushes in deeper, and in between the shards of skull it weaves, slowly knitting Frisk back together. Function number three is ready once the blossom's sunk its roots into Frisk, and the vine detaches, pulling out and leaving Toriel alone, even going so far as to settle her back on the bed, before vines begin to rapidly fall apart, Sans falling from the ceiling with a hollow clatter as Toriel is finally given the freedom to sit up and hurl curses at...

... Nothing. The vines have already turned to dust, sucked up by the air conditioning, and leaving the thunder in Toriel's chest to stew and storm as she glares at the tile, sitting back with the utmost care. "Sans." He almost jumps to his feet, and a few moments later, Papyrus bursts in the door, his phone clutched in hand. "Oh good, someone competent." Toriel groans, looking Papyrus in the eye as he helps his brother to his feet, the taller sentry nodding in quiet acknowledgement of her address. "Find Alphys, tell her there's going to need to be a purge."

Papyrus can tell she won't like his answer. "... UM... ACTUALLY, MISS DREEMURR, MA'AM.."

"Now is not the time for pranks, Papyrus."

"YE-YES, I KNOW, BUT UHM..." Papyrus holds tight to his brother's parka. "IT WOULD BE DANGEROUS TO REMOVE IT NOW. IT WOULD JEOPARDIZE FRISK'S HEALTH, PUTTING OUR ALREADY LOW CHANCES... ERM..." He glances down at his phone as though it will give him some relief from Toriel's glare. "... IN THE ABYSS. BUT I'M CERTAIN I CAN GET A MORE HELPFUL PREDICTION AFTER THIS! THE PREDICTICATOR IS NEVER WRONG ABOUT THIS SORT OF THING, I'M CERTAIN I CAN STILL ASK." Papyrus doesn't know the app just deleted itself from his phone, what with its host officially disassembled, but what he doesn't know can't still hurt him, right?

"I don't want predictions anymore, Papyrus. I want Frisk alive and healthy. Get. Alphys. Now."

"Y-YES MA'AM!" Sans wishes he had his stopwatch with him, Papyrus probably just set a world record or something for how fast he exited. But now, it leaves just Sans to bear the brunt of Toriel's anger.

"I expected better from you."   
"... yeah. me too."  
"You should be grateful Frisk is okay after such a spectacular failure at your basic purpose."  
"look, i didn't know, and i didn't think you'd survive a bone attack to the face with another life hanging in the balance as well as your own. blame me for not intervening, but if you hadn't guessed, i'd like to not murder my friends."

Toriel takes a breath, turning her gaze back to the monitors on the wall instead of Sans. "I can take a beating without your 'intervention', Sans. You should have acted, whether I would have survived or not."

"tori, fuck no. i'm not gonna kill our only shot at fixing this, and i'm sure as hell not gonna let you do that either." Sans insists, at her bedside and taking her hand, not giving a damn about the fire that licks at his bones, if only briefly. "frisk will live, but do you really think they want to be in a world where you're not?" Toriel remains silent, but Sans can feel her squeeze his hand. "they'd be miserable if we let you die. it'd be a real shame to leave em that way, right?" After a moment, a tense nod from Toriel. "so all we gotta do is rest up and let pap n me get back on sentry duty. that's all."

Toriel has had enough of pleasing idiots, but.. For Frisk, she will nod along. She knows Frisk would understand, but Sans does have a point... A world with Frisk without Toriel is a world she doesn't feel like living in. She has to stay strong, and she's got the determination to do it.


End file.
